Nepal Clean Irrigation Initiative

Water

Provides the farmers with a more reliable water source, year round.

This allows farmers to grow crops year round.

Carbon Footprint

Replaces a dirty fuel source with a sustainable renewable energy.

Diesel pumps produce 0.5t of CO2/month. Solar pumps produce none.

 Costs

Significantly reduces the farmer's operating costs, thus saving them money

Local partners build trust

We have partnered with local solar company Gham Power to bring solar-powered water pumps to farmers in Far West Nepal.

Ownership

To establish a sense of ownership for the farmers and a commitment to  technology, we have partnered with various local microfinance providers. They provide 70% of the financing to purchase a pump as a soft loan to the farmers (repaid over 18-24 months), and we provide grants for the additional 30% as an initial down-payment to enable the loan. Once the loan has been paid off, the farmer then owns the pump and benefits from free solar power.

Without our initial funding, however, the farmers do not have sufficient capital to access the technology and are priced out.

Ongoing support and maintenance

During the loan repayment period, Gham Power assists the farmer with any maintenance issues free of charge. Once the loan has been paid off, the farmers will either pay for maintenance on an ad hoc basis or they can purchase insurance on a yearly basis.